5 healthy alternatives to your favourite summer treats

Looking for something cool and refreshing without the added calories? Try blending up a nice, thick smoothie! There are plenty of healthy recipes you can find online using some of your favourite fruits (and vegetables!). They can be packed full of flavour without leaving you with that bloated, sluggish feeling.

Alternatively, you could even try making some of your own frozen fruit ice lollies! You can try these with virtually any fruit. Just add fruit juice and water or for a thicker lolly, add natural yoghurt.

Fruity desserts

Summer is the perfect season for most of our favourite fruits. It can be tempting to start creating tasty and exciting desserts like pies and crumbles or to cover them in thick cream. There are so many low-calorie and low-fat alternatives to try!

If you want to cover your fruit in anything, opt for some natural yoghurt. The lower the fat content the better! There are a variety of flavours in low fat and fat-free yoghurts that you can add.

If you’re desperate for something a bit sweeter, it’s much healthier to drizzle over a bit of honey. This works especially well on juicier fruits like melons and peaches. You can even add spices like cinnamon to recreate unhealthier flavours without the added calories.

If you need a dessert with a little more substance, take a look at the recipes you can create using oats! Things like oat pancakes or overnight oats can be incredibly tasty and filling but also good for you!

You can just keep it simple and whip up a delicious fruit salad or, for a bit of fun, make some fruit kebabs to pick at.

Burgers

Do you love to get the barbecue out when the sun is shining? If you’re partial to a burger, you are consuming one of the hardest proteins to digest. Red meats are also very high in saturated fats. If you’re trying to be good, turkey or salmon burgers are a much less fatty option and can be just as tasty if you’re doing it right!

If you feel like you really can’t go without your beef burger, look for burgers or mince to make your own that are at 5% fat or lower.

If you want to be really good, skip the carbs and go bun-free! You could even try being slightly experimental if you want to fill your burger out. Swap your bread for two nice big crunchy lettuce leaves or if you want something softer, grab two nicely sized portobello mushrooms. Not only is it healthier, it also adds to the flavour!

Crunchy snacks

Eating outdoors more or snacking more in the heat often means choosing foods that require minimal preparation. A common choice is the good old crisp and dip combination.

Crisps are full of fats, salts and sugars – as are most of your favourite dips like salsa and cheese dips. Crunchy vegetable sticks such as carrots, cucumber and peppers can satisfy your snacking needs!

Choosing dips like hummus and handmade guacamole to accompany this healthy option adds extra flavour and, being thicker, you are likely to get fuller quicker.

Fizzy drinks

Even though choosing diet fizzy drinks over their full sugar versions is healthier, many of these drinks are still linked to problems like heart disease and obesity.

By using fizzy water, you can make your own healthy and tasty drinks! You don’t need to drink it on its own, most shops will sell naturally sweet flavoured versions – or you can make your own concoctions.

Add whatever fruit takes your fancy and leave it to infuse. You can get great flavours from things like lemon, lime, mint and cucumber – anything will do! If you want something slightly stronger, take a look at sugar-free cordials and make it to your preferred strength.